TELUNAS ISLAND
Telunas Beach Resort is a small, rustic resort located in the Riau Islands of Indonesia. The resort is home to the Telunas Centre, a popular outdoor, experiential educational learning centre. All participants will travel on the Sindo ferry from Singapore to Sekupang (Batam), Indonesia and then take a long-boat ride to the resort at Telunas Beach.
ARTISTIC INFORMATION
Title
Treasured island
Starting point
At this festival we will explore the nature of desert island adventures and quest narratives which, taking us away from our familiar surroundings, make us realise who we are and what we value the most.
Out and about
Site specific.
Inspirations
Personal, literary, conceptual.
ISTA ARTISTS
Debbie Kidd
Artistic director
For 21 years I taught drama to children as young as four right through to high school and even at university. Now I work with teachers and students in schools around the world, exploring how drama can bring learning to life. This might involve leading them through curriculum development or it might involve talking about leadership.
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I am also a doctor of education and have written three books about education and creativity and am working on my fourth. I am an associate for the Royal Society of Arts and for Independent Thinking Ltd – two organisations committed to making schools more humane and creative. I’ve been proud to work with ISTA over the past twelve years and love the opportunity to be an AD.
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I’ve filled the role of AD at many festivals, from primary to high school and it’s a wonderful honour to help to shape and craft the great ideas that students generate when they attend a festival and to pull together the creative output of the artists. It’s a great privilege and one I never tire of.
Lizzie Hodge
Student Ensemble Leader
I have always been interested in different cultures having grown up in Nepal, living there for twelve years. After a four year stint teaching in China, I am currently living and working in Cambodia, with my husband and two daughters. Teaching theatre and sharing my passion for the subject with my students is what I love best.
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I trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, specialising in Applied Theatre. Through teaching the IB I have enjoyed being on a constant learning journey, discovering new practitioners, plays and traditions. I love directing and devising – specifically using a range of physical theatre techniques and creating theatre for change.
Theresa Chapman
Rep
I am currently residing on the beautiful Island of Singapore whilst leading the Junior School Drama curriculum at Tanglin Trust School for the past eight years. After completing a degree in dance I worked in a range of educational settings, teaching drama and dance in the United Kingdom and Asia. I have also worked with ISTA now for eight years – hosting and attending festivals, organising and attending PD events and generally involving myself in ISTA business whenever I can.
The thing that inspires me most is movement—that anything and everything around me can inspire an idea. Working with primary students, I love to explore how the arts can help children access a diverse curriculum—scientific principles understood when turned into simple motifs or a mathematical concept unpicked through the application of simple choreographic devices.
My leadership experience is extensive, from Training dance graduates in the United Kingdom to pioneering primary festivals in Asia. I have worked as an examiner for AQA Dance and am an ISTA Rep.
Chris Salisbury
Student Ensemble Leader
I am director for the Westcountry Storytelling Festival since 2002 and now the all-new Oxford Storytelling Festival. I was part of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain ensemble, studied A-level Theatre and Theatre at Kent University and then acted with various touring theatre companies. I then founded Scallywag Theatre-in-education Company and trained as a dramatherapist.
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In 1993 I told my first story around the flickering flames of a campfire and a love affair began with traditional storytelling that continues to the present day in a professional capacity, teaching and performing for a wide range of client-groups. The power and enchantment of the simple narrative form has been a revelation and has sustained my curiosity and passion for this mysterious, ancient and purely oral tradition and what it can contribute to theatre-making.
Nicola Murray
Student Ensemble Leader
Following my training in ballet and contemporary dance, I graduated from Middlesex University and the State University of New York, having performed in works by Mark Baldwin and Shobana Jeyasingh. My teaching career began at The BRIT School for Business School and chair of drama and theatre education at the University of Warwick. In addition to my academic profile, I am an experienced creative workshop leader and drama practitioner with a national and international reputation for delivering high quality keynotes, executive education and master classes.
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Recently, I was director of study for the Warwick Commission on the Future of Cultural Value and research project director for the Creative Industries Federation. I am director of research on the executive bid committee for Coventry City of Culture 2021.
Paul Bongiovanni
Student Ensemble Leader
I was an actor, director and writer for about 20 years in Australia before becoming a secondary school teacher. I was teaching at international schools for the past four years in Manila, Bangladesh and Shanghai. I am now back in Australia teaching speech and drama.
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When it comes to theatre, I have a strong interest in site specific theatre, having performed in very unusual places ranging from under oak trees beneath the stars to running in a pack through the streets of Aarhus, Denmark, to performing in a car park in Melbourne, Australia. I also have a strong background in Commedia dell'Arte. Not only is it part of my culture but I have performed it and taught it extensively in schools.
IEL STUDENTS
This event offers an arts leadership experience for a small group of high school students to attend and act as Intern Ensemble Leaders for the festival. These students will be working closely with the ISTA artists throughout their core workshops.​
